Dilon Technologies: With help from the Jefferson Lab and the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Dilon has developed a high-resolution digital gamma camera for use as a diagnostic aid in nuclear medicine. It could help women avoid unnecessary biopsies for breast cancer.

Newport News Shipbuilding: Working with ODU's Center for Advanced Ship Repair and Maintenance, the shipyard firm is working on ways to treat water polluted by tributylin, a substance contained in marine paints that prevents barnacles from attaching to ships. A 100-foot by 60-foot barge was built as a pilot wastewater treatment plant that can move to various shipyards in Hampton Roads.

The Center for Advanced Engineering Environments: This ODU program, with offices at NASA Langley, focuses on "distributed collaborative synthesis and learning technologies" and their application to aerospace systems. Led by Dr. Ahmed K. Noor, recruited from the University of Virginia, the project uses computer-generated simulations to conduct tests for structural stress and material fatigue for the aerospace, automobile and other industries.

Virginia Institute for Marine Science (VIMS): This Gloucester Point oceanography institute is experimenting with growing genetically superior marine life to capitalize on Hampton Roads' commercial fishing industry. VIMS, part of the School of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, is researching alternatives to the wasteful and destructive harvesting of marine life.

The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine of Eastern Virginia Medical School: The Jones Institute is using genetic engineering to devise diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for reproductive problems. The first research facility in the world to achieve in vitro fertilization resulting in a live human birth, the institute is teaming with medical school and ODU researchers to kill fast-growing cancer cells with high-voltage electrical pulses.